Baby gorilla gets behind camera for award winning photo

A photograph of a baby gorilla looking through the viewfinder of a camera on a tripod has won an award at the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) first ever Animal Photography Prize competition.

The snap by photographer Lucy Ray, which shows cheeky little Chickaboo proving that she is just as good as any wildlife photographer, will go on show at an exhibition at ZSL London Zoo.

Other extraordinary images that will be on display at the Zoo include a close up of an Amur leopard baring its teeth, and a Madagascan giant leaf-tailed gecko showing off its incredible camouflage skills.

ZSL’s project manager for the exhibition Sarah Barron added: “These photographers have managed to capture some truly amazing shots which will challenge peoples’ perception of the animal kingdom.

Photographer Robert Heischman, who captured the winning shot of the reflective gharial in the adult’s Weird and Wonderful category said: “Photographing reflections effectively requires a bunch of factors to come together. You need intense light, still water, a low camera angle, and an interesting subject to make it work.

“I love gharials for how sharp and angular they are, so when I saw this individual holding his head at such a steep angle, I knew I had an interesting shot on my hands.